I A Study of Cultural Bias in Journalistic Translation from English into Arabic and Vice Versa دراﺳﺔ ﺣﻮل اﻟﺘﺤﯿﺰ اﻟﺜﻘﺎﻓﻲ ﻓﻲ اﻟﺘﺮﺟﻤﺔ اﻟﺼﺤﻔﯿﺔ ﻣﻦ اﻟﻌﺮﺑﯿﺔ ﻟﻼﻧﺠﻠﯿﺰﯾﺔ وﺑﺎﻟﻌﻜﺲ Prepared by: Jafar Ibrahim Saidan Supervised by: Dr. Nawaf Obiedat A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Master’s Degree in English Language and Literature Department of English Language and Literature Faculty of Arts and Science Middle East University July 2016 II III IV Acknowledgment First of all, praise is due to Almighty Allah for giving me strength and ability to complete this study. I wish to express my thanks to my supervisor Dr. Nawaf Obiedat for his encouragement and support. Special appreciation is offered to my professor who taught and guided me during my study, Dr. Majid Abdulatif. With a deep sense of gratitude, I wish to express my sincere thanks to my parents for their kind and generous support and help. V Dedication To my brother's soul , Mohammed. VI Table of Contents Subject Page Thesis Title I Authorization II Thesis committee decision III Acknowledgment IV Dedication V Table of Contents VI English Abstract VIII Arabic Abstract IX Chapter One 1.0 Introduction 1 1.1 Background of the Study 1 1.2 Statement of the Problem 4 1.3 Objectives of the Study 4 1.4 Questions of the Study 4 1.5 Significance of the Study 5 1.6 Limitations and Limits of the Study 5 1.7 Definitions of Terms 5 Chapter Two 2.1 Theoretical Studies 8 2.2 Empirical Studies 23 Chapter Three 3.0 Introduction 30 3.1 Population and Sample of the Study 30 3.2 The Instruments of the Study 32 3.3 Validity of the Instruments 34 3.4 Reliability of the Instruments 34 3.5 Procedures of the Study 36 3.6 Data Collection and Analysis 37 Chapter Four Results of the Study 4.0 Introduction 38 VII 4.1 Data Analysis 39 4.2 Data Analysis Related to Question One 39 4.3 Data Analysis Related to Question Two 51 Chapter Five 5.1 Discussion 53 5.2 Conclusion 55 5.3 Recommendation 56 6. References 57 List of Tables (1-4) 75 Appendices (A-F) 80 VIII The Study of Cultural Bias in Journalistic Translation By: Jafar Ibrahim Saidan Supervised by: Dr. Nawaf Obiedat Abstract This study aims at investigating the interference of culture that might make translators of journalistic texts biased in their translation. Moreover, it aims to measure the journalistic translator's tendency to cultural bias when they translate a journalistic text. The researcher raises the following questions of the study: 1- Why does the culture interfere in making translators biased in their translation? 2- To what extent do translators of journalistic texts tend to be biased in their translation? A questionnaire was designed to collect data, The questionnaire focused on the viability about the averages, standard deviations, and cultural factors. The validity of the instrument was to ask a panel of experts to evaluate the questionnaire, and find out if the questions measure what they is supposed to measure. Reliability of the instruments was also assured by conducting a test-retest to a selected sample from outside the sample of the study. The sample of the study consists of 10 professors. The researcher used the quantitative method to analyze the obtained data. The answers to the questions of the study were as follow as: the findings of the study show that the general averages of the journalist’s responses are that the journalist’s translators have a high level in the cultural bias while they translate the journalistic texts. Key words: Bias, Journalistic Translation, Cultural Bias. IX دراﺳﺔ ﺣﻮل اﻟﺘﺤﯿﺰ اﻟﺜﻘﺎﻓﻲ ﻓﻲ اﻟﺘﺮﺟﻤﺔ اﻟﺼﺤﻔﯿﺔ ﻣﻦ اﻟﻌﺮﺑﯿﺔ ﻟﻼﻧﺠﻠﯿﺰﯾﺔ وﺑﺎﻟﻌﻜﺲ إﻋﺪاد اﻟﻄﺎﻟﺐ: ﺟﻌﻔﺮ إﺑﺮاھﯿﻢ ﺳﻌﯿﺪان إﺷﺮاف اﻟﺪﻛﺘﻮر : ﻧﻮاف ﻋﺒﯿﺪات اﻟﻤﻠﺨﺺ ھدﻓت ھذه اﻟدراﺳﺔ، إﻟﻰ اﻟﺗﻌرف ﻋﻠﻰ اﻟﺗﺣﯾز اﻟﺛﻘﺎﻓﻲ ﻓﻲ اﻟﺗرﺟﻣﺔ اﻟﺻﺣﻔﯾﺔ. ورﻛز اﻟﺑﺎﺣث ﻋﻠﻰ إﺟﺎﺑﺔ اﻷﺳﺋﻠﺔ اﻟﺗﺎﻟﯾﺔ: 1- ﻟﻣﺎذا ﯾﻌد اﻟﺗدﺧل اﻟﺛﻘﺎﻓﻲ ﺳﺑﺑﺎً ﻓﻲ ﺟﻌل اﻟﻣﺗرﺟﻣﯾن ﯾﻧﺣﺎزون ﻓﻲ ﺗرﺟﻣﺎﺗﮭم؟ 2- إﻟﻰ إي ﻣدى ﯾﻣﯾل ﻣﺗرﺟﻣو اﻟﻧﺻوص اﻟﺻﺣﻔﯾﺔ ﻟﯾﻛوﻧوا ﻣﺗﺣﯾزﯾن إﺛﻧﺎء ﺗرﺟﻣﺔ اﻟﻧﺻوص؟ وﻟﻺﺟﺎﺑﺔ ﻋن ھذه اﻷﺳﺋﻠﺔ، ﻗﺎم اﻟﺑﺎﺣث ﺑﺈﻋداد إﺳﺗﺑﺎﻧﺔ ﻟﺟﻣﻊ اﻟﻣﻌﻠوﻣﺎت،ﺣﯾث ﺗم ﻣن ﺧﻼﻟﮭﺎ اﻟﺗرﻛﯾز ﻋﻠﻰ اﻟﻣﺗوﺳط اﻟﺣﺳﺎﺑﻲ واﻻﻧﺣراف اﻟﻣﻌﯾﺎري ﻟﻠﻌواﻣل اﻟﺛﻘﺎﻓﯾﺔ ﺑﻧﺎء ﻋﻠﻰ اﺟﺎﺑﺎت اﻟﻣﺗرﺟﻣﯾن اﻟﺻﺣﻔﯾﯾن. وﻣن اﺟل اﻟﺗﺄﻛد ﻣن ﺻﺣﺔ اﻟﻧﺗﺎﺋﺞ ، ﻗﺎم اﻟﺑﺎﺣث ﺑﺈﺟراء ﻣﻘﺎﺑﻼت ﻣﻊ ﻟﺟﻧﺔ ﻣن اﻟﺧﺑراء ﻟﺗﻘﯾﯾم اﻹﺳﺗﺑﺎﻧﺔ وﻣﻌرﻓﺔ ﻣﺎ إذا ﻛﺎﻧت اﻷﺳﺋﻠﺔ ﻓﻲ اﻟﻣﺳﺗوى اﻟﻣطﻠوب ﻟﻠﻧﺗﺎﺋﺞ. ﻛﻣﺎ وﻗﺎم اﻟﺑﺎﺣث أﯾﺿﺎ ﺑﺈﺟراء اﺧﺗﺑﺎر ﺷﻣل 10 ﻣن اﻷﺳﺎﺗذة اﻟذﯾن ﺗم اﺧﺗﯾﺎرھم ﻣن ﺧﺎرج ﻋﯾﻧﺔ اﻟدراﺳﺔ. اﺳﺗﺧدم اﻟﺑﺎﺣث اﻟﻣﻧﮭﺞ اﻟﻛﻣﻲ ﻟﺗﺣﻠﯾل اﻟﺑﯾﺎﻧﺎت اﻟﺗﻲ ﺗم اﻟﺣﺻول ﻋﻠﯾﮭﺎ ﻛﻧﺗﯾﺟﺔ ﻟﻼﺧﺗﺑﺎر و ﻛﺎﻧت اﻹﺟﺎﺑﺎت ﻋﻠﻰ أﺳﺋﻠﺔ اﻟدراﺳﺔ ﻋﻠﻰ اﻟﻧﺣو اﻟﺗﺎﻟﻲ : أظﮭرت ﻧﺗﺎﺋﺞ اﻟدراﺳﺔ أن اﻟﻣﺗوﺳطﺎت اﻟﻌﺎﻣﺔ ﻹﺟﺎﺑﺎت اﻟﺻﺣﻔﯾﯾن إﻟﻰ أن اﻟﻣﺗرﺟﻣﯾن اﻟﺻﺣﻔﯾﯾن ﻟدﯾﮭم ﻣﺳﺗوى ﻋﺎل ﻣن اﻟﺗﺣﯾز اﻟﺛﻘﺎﻓﻲ ﻋﻧد ﻗﯾﺎﻣﮭم ﺑﺗرﺟﻣﺔ اﻟﻧﺻوص اﻟﺻﺣﻔﯾﺔ. اﻟﻛﻠﻣﺎت اﻟﻣﻔﺗﺎﺣﯾﺔ : اﻟﺗﺣﯾز, اﻟﺗرﺟﻣﺔ اﻟﺻﺣﻔﯾﺔ, اﻟﺗﺣﯾز اﻟﺛﻘﺎﻓﻲ. 1 Chapter one Introduction 1.1 Background of the Study Cultural bias highlights differences among viewpoints, persons and groups that prefer one culture over another. We can describe cultural bias as discriminative because it introduces one group's accepted behavior as valued and distinguishable from another lesser valued societal group. Cultural bias was found to be the major determiner of where certain people live, what their opportunities in education and health. Bias is a tendency to favor one person, group, or point of view over another, in an unfair way. Bias can be a personal or a public opinion, such as a news story, that only presents facts that support one point of view. Bias is common in writing and speech that we are not aware of, but it is the responsibility of everyone to be conscious to avoid bias in writing. Bias appears in many areas of life, particularly, in the journalistic writing and translation. Bias, in translation, may be intentional by word choice according to religious, racial, political and cultural thoughts. 2 According to Rothman K (1998) bias is the lack of internal validity or incorrect assessment of the association between an exposure and an effect in the target population. Journalistic translation is a field of expertise that presents unique features, tempered by the way in which journalism works and by the channels that circulate its texts, as the field of expertise imposes certain ways of translating. To approach it, it is necessary to be aware of and analyze the specific techniques of the text in hand. It requires wide expertise in variety subjects of culture such as target language and include translation of media or public printing. The media has the function of disseminating the world, but the translators play the roles of making this happen, effectively and accurately. Journalistic translation has indeed gained a place within the discipline. In the first edition of the Routledge Encyclopedia of Translation Studies (1998), there was no specific entry for the transformation of information in news outlets other than occasional references. Journalistic translation has the key role for societies everywhere. People want and need to know what is happening around the world. The press and media allow them to stay in touch with what is really going on. Journalistic translation requires knowledge and understanding of the linguistic and the grammar of both languages (the source and the target) in order to convey the text as the original writer want it to be conveyed. 3 Translators of journalistic texts should control the different sources of information to avoid misunderstanding translation. These translators, for instance, must take into account that many plays on words that cannot be directly translated into the target language because the meaning will be lost. They must, therefore, be able to reproduce the nuances of the source text (original document) in the target language (language that the text is translated into) in such a way that the translation remains close to the original. The researcher will relate the perception of cultural bias in journalistic translation by investigating the degree of subjectivity among translators and by translating mass media texts. The study will be applied to purposively selected translators of the Jordanian newspaper Jordan Times and Petra News Agency, asking them to answer the questionnaire. Bias that will be investigated in the study includes attitudes of cultural, political, religious and even ethnic aspects. I believe that question of bias is worth being studied in translation in general, and in the field of media translation in particular, since media is nowadays the major mean of communication used to convey points of view in all aspects of life. 4 According to Rothman (1998) bias is the lack of internal validity or incorrect assessment of the association between an exposure and an effect in the target population. 1.2 Statement of the Problem When translating a text from Arabic into English and vice versa , it's not easy to adhere to the source text. In fact subjectivity is, something, tended to happen while translating a texts, especially those which are related to matters about our culture, society, religion, politics and homeland. The study measures to what extent translators of journalistic texts tend to be biased in their translation of social, a religious or a political text. 1.3 Objective of the Study The study aims at achieving the following objectives: 1- To measure the journalistic translators' tendency to cultural bias when they translate a journalistic text from Arabic into English and vice versa. 2- To investigate the interference of culture that might make translators of journalistic texts biased in their translation. 1.4 Questions of the study The study raises the following questions that will be answered by the researcher: 1-To what extent do translators of journalistic texts tend to be biased in their translation? 5 2-Why does the culture interfere make translators biased in their translation? 1.5 Significance of the study Many studies have been conducted in the field of journalistic translation in general, some of which have discussed objectivity and faithfulness of translation and so on.